As The Heart Grows Fonder
by coffeechick87
Summary: This is the Prequel to my story 'The Fortune Cookie'... So basically, Tristan and Rory meet again at Yale. Trory, will also include LL, eventually. [WIP] [On-Hold]
1. Prologue: Yale

As The Heart Grows Fonder  
  
By: coffeechick87  
  
  
  
*~*Prologue*~*  
  
  
  
Gilmore Residence, Stars Hollow, Connecticut.  
  
  
  
Lorelai stood on he front porch,, sifting through the early morning mail..  
  
"Bills. Bills. Bills. Bills disguised as 'Special Offers'. Yale..Yale?!" Lorelai's eyes widened as she screeched."Rory!!" She ran into the house, through the kitchen, and into her sleeping daughters bedroom.  
  
Rory blearily sat up when she felt her mothers weight on her legs and heard her screaming.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"YALE!!!" Lorelai thrust an oversized envelope into Rory's numb hands. "You got a big letter from Yale!!"  
  
"What?!" She clutched he envelope, and tried to focus her tired eyes. "Okay, I'm scared.. What if hey say no?" She looked at the envelope warily.  
  
"Then you'll go to Harvard." She took the width of the envelope between two fingers, it was at least 2 inches thick. "And does this really look like anything But an acceptance letter?"  
  
"Harvard's too far away. Yale is soo much closer-" (AN: I have no Idea if that's actually true. sue me, I'm from Canada)-"I could come home for the weekends more often."  
  
"And. My dad's Alumni there, he has pull. You're in." Lorelai pushed the envelope into Rory's chest, "Make it official!"  
  
"Okay. Okay." Rory opened the envelope, took out an official looking sheet of paper, and began to read. "Dear Miss Lorelai Leigh Gilmore III, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Yale University, starting in the fall term of 2003---"  
  
"Eeeeeek!!" Lorelai launched herself at her daughter, "You're going to Yale!!!!"  
  
~||~|~||~|~||~*~||~|~||~|~||~  
  
DuGrey Residence, Hartford, Conn.  
  
  
  
Tristan DuGrey sat stiffly in an uncomfortable high-backed chair in front of his father's desk.  
  
"So, son. Now that you're out of Military School, it's time to think of your higher education. Now, you've been accepted at these schools." Robert DuGrey passed his on a small stack of papers.  
  
Drake.. Columbia. NYU. Yale. Harvard.  
  
"It is ultimately your decision, but as you know, me, like the 4 generations of DuGreys before me, have all attended Yale. But know, that no matter where you choose to go, your Mother and I are both very proud of you."  
  
  
  
That night, Tristan sat in his room, oblivious to the music that was pumping out of his expensive stereo unit, and looked back and forth between his school choices, and his Chilton Yearbook.  
  
He studied each one carefully, and then looked them all over, again.  
  
There wasn't really a choice to be made. He'd made that choice when he was a young boy, and his father had taken him on a trip to Yale to show him where he had went to school. And that 9 year old Tristan could picture himself sitting in the Lecture Halls, reading in the Libraries, and just lounging in the Common Rooms.  
  
So, really, he knew he was going to Yale, but what he didn't know was where SHE was going.  
  
Rory Gilmore, His Mary.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Thanks for reading! I hope to have the First Chapter done, and posted by Friday, I might not be able to, (My dad works at home on the Comp.)  
  
So, please, tell me what you think!! I really need to know!! Thanx again,  
  
~Jayde 


	2. Part 1: Hodworms, Brownies, and Old Fri...

Just so everyone knows, I don't own Harry Potter, either. (  
  
So, no profit is intended. Unless you count the high I get when I read peoples REVIEWS!!! {Hint, Hint!!}  
  
  
  
As The Heart Grows Fonder  
  
Part 1  
  
Hodworms, Brownies, and Old Friends.  
  
  
  
Yale University Campus ~  
  
  
  
"Hi, can I please have the biggest cup of coffee that you have please?" Rory Gilmore asked the server at Café Mocha, the trendy campus coffee shop.  
  
"Sure, what kind?" The familiar girl motioned to the display.  
  
"Hmmmm.. Can I get a 50/50 of African Queen and Mocha Chocolate? Thanks." Steph handed Rory the coffee and, grinning, Rory gave her a $5 bill, which was promptly put into Stephs pocket. "Keep the change." Rory grinned, and winked playfully.  
  
"Oh, thanks sooo much, Ror." Rory's flat-mate shook her head. Rory didn't have to pay at Café Mocha, because she worked there too, and all the tip money that She and Steph received, was put into the Tip Bunny, at their shared apartment.  
  
"See ya' at the apartment Steph."  
  
"Actually, I'm off in just over half an hour, how 'bout you sit and read, then we'll go home together?"  
  
"Sure, I'm in the middle of a book anyway." Rory switched her over-size purse to her other shoulder, while her friend looked at her, amused.  
  
"Still on that Harry Potter kick, huh?"  
  
"Don't knock 'em 'till you've read them. Harry's at the Quiddich World Cup right now.  
  
Stephanie laughed, She'd only known Rory for just under 2 months, but, she'd discovered that she was an endless supply of entertainment. "Okay. Go sit down and read all about Harry's adventures at.. Hodworms, is it?" Steph teased.  
  
"It's Hogwarts.." Rory turned and huffed to an unoccupied booth in front of the window. "Now.. Lets see what Harry's up to..."  
  
  
  
*~*~**~***~**~*~*  
  
  
  
Near Yale Campus ~  
  
Approx. same time.  
  
  
  
"Dude, you really gotta' come to the party tonight, I heard that Randy even hired some strippers..."  
  
Tristan DuGrey attempted to ignore the guys that were sitting on the car beside the moving truck that he'd hired where his movers were currently moving all of his things into his new residence. He looked at his new apartment building, 'Yea, I can live here,' he thought.  
  
After paying the movers, and checking that everything was in his new 3- bedroom apartment, he decided to take a short walk to the Campus, and look around. After wandering aimlessly around the various Libraries, he found himself outside of Café Mocha, and he swore that his heart stopped.  
  
He blinked.  
  
She was still there.  
  
Rory Gilmore.  
  
Time stood still.  
  
  
  
*~*~**~***~**~*~*  
  
  
  
Rory looked up from her book, and called to Steph, who was still behind the counter,  
  
"Steph, can you grab a few brownies, and things for tonight? I'll swing by the store later on and stock up on junk when you go rent the movies, kay?"  
  
"Okay, any requests?"  
  
"How 'bout. Girls Theme?"  
  
"Like. Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality.?"  
  
"Yea, and add The Princess Diaries. I feel the need to be swept off my feet tonight."  
  
"K, Sounds good, Ror."  
  
Rory turned back to her book, after reading a few sentences, she felt as if someone was watching her. She looked up into the café, everybody was busy, no-one paying the slightest attention to the slightly neurotic girl reading a children's book in the corner. She mentally shook her head, and went back to her book.....  
  
**~*~**  
  
  
  
'Harry Potter. oh, come on now, you know who he is. the boy who survived You-Know-Who. you do know who he is-'  
  
The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly and pointed at it.  
  
'Knew we'd get there in the end.' Said Fudge wearily. 'I'm no great shakes at languages, I need Barty Crouch for this sort -'  
  
**~*~**  
  
  
  
Suddenly, Rory glanced out the window, and froze.  
  
"Tristan..." The name hovered on her lips as her eyes locked with his. Blue me blue, and she smiled.  
  
He tentatively smiled back, Rory stood-up, and called to Steph, who was preparing to grab her things, "Steph, watch my stuff, I'll be back in a minute." She distantly heard her roommates 'Sure', as she walked out the door towards a still immobile Tristan.  
  
She stopped about a foot away, unsure of what to do. I mean, how are you supposed to greet an old crush, whom you've had absolutely no contact with for 2 years?  
  
So, Rory did the only thing that she thought of - the only thing that felt natural, she hugged him.  
  
And he hugged her back.  
  
"Tristan." She said, when she pulled back a minute later.  
  
"Mary." He said it, and grinned.  
  
She smiled at the old nickname, "So, you're at Yale now, too?"  
  
"Yea." His eyes hungrily took in her face, devouring every inch. 'God, she's so beautiful.' "So, Rory Gilmore at Yale. What happened to Harvard, Ror?"  
  
"Well, come into the café, an I'll spill the whole one sentence story." She took his arm and steered him into Café Mocha. She dragged Tristan to the booth where her things were, and they sat opposite each other.  
  
"So, no Harvard?" Tristan prompted.  
  
"Right. It's too far from home, Yale is so much closer so, I came here instead."  
  
"So, how long have you been here? I mean, you seem comfortable, not wandering around like an idiot-"  
  
"Like you?" She grinned impishly from behind her now lukewarm cup of coffee.  
  
"Yea, like me."  
  
"I've been here about 2 months. If I'd waited longer to leave home, my mother would have had me chained to the town gazebo." She lowered her voice to a mock-conspiratorial whisper. "She didn't take well to letting me go."  
  
Just then a curvy red-head plopped down beside Rory, stole her coffee, took a gulp and winced when she found it cold. She looked at Tristan with interest, and raised an eyebrow at Rory, "New Friend, Ror?"  
  
"Nope, try old one. Steph, this is Tristan DuGrey, Tristan, this is my flat-mate, Stephanie Miller." She gave Steph a warning glance, silently telling her not to say anything.  
  
Steph just grinned, "So You're Tristan..." Rory kicked her under the table, but Steph just replied innocently, "What d'ya kick me for, Ror?"  
  
Tristan laughed, "So, you've been talkin' 'bout me Mary?" He raised a suggestive eyebrow.  
  
"Grrrr.." She buried her face in her hands, "Shut Up."  
  
  
  
*~*~**~***~**~*~*  
  
So, is it crap?  
  
Tell me the truth.  
  
Reply, or e-mail me at  
  
coffeechick87@hotmail.com  
  
Please?  
  
Thanks for readin'!  
  
~Jayde  
  
FYI: You can also find this fic, and more, at Moonbeams Trory Archive Want, Need, Have.  
  
www.geocities.com/wantneedhavetrory  
  
Check it out!! 


	3. Part 2: Nervousness and Phone Calls… We...

Hey everybody, here are a few things that you should know. The fist few lines of this chapter are from another fic, well very similar to them, anyway. I'd tell you what fic, but I can't remember, sorry.  
  
I tweaked Run Away Little Boy - I made Rory overhear the 'conversation' that Tristan and Dean had in Doosey's, and I changed Can't Get Started - Lorelai and Luke made up, and he asked her out at Sookie's wedding.  
  
And thank-you everyone who reviewed/e-mailed me, I loved all of you're replies!  
  
J.  
  
  
  
As The Heart Grows Fonder  
  
By: Jayde  
  
Part 2: Nervousness and Phone Calls. Well, Phone Call.  
  
  
  
"Coffee. coffee. coffee." Rory panted as she burst through her apartment door, a full book bag in her arms.  
  
"You know, normal people would be saying 'Water, water, water'." Tristan smirked, already handing her a mug of coffee.  
  
"Well," Sighing, she took a gulp of the coffee, and grinned. "When have *I* ever been normal?"  
  
"Tristan pretended to ponder that, "I have absolutely no idea."  
  
"Ha, ha." Rory took off her jacket, and flopped down on the couch, lifting her feet to allow Tristan too sit underneath them. "So, what are you doing here, anyway?" She asked once they were both comfortable.  
  
"Awww.. Can't a guy just come and visit his friend and neighbor without an ulterior motive?"  
  
"Well, yes. Other guy's can, but not you. When You appear in my apartment before I get home from work, with freshly brewed coffee, I might add. The ultimate bribe, You want5 something. Now, what is it?"  
  
"Oh," He dramatically clutched his chest, as if he was in pain. "I'm hurt that you think that of me, Mary."  
  
"So, what do you want?" She repeated with a raised eyebrow at Tristan.  
  
"Well."  
  
"HA! I knew it!" Rory broke in, almost spilling her coffee as she half sat up.  
  
"So funny, Gilmore. Anyway, I was wondering if I could join you in Stars Hollow this Winter Break. My parents are going to Florida to visit my Aunt I'm not really in the mood to be passed around like a slab of meat at Aunt Clarissa's parties." He winced, remembering the last time he had been at one of his Aunt's 'Gatherings'.  
  
"Awww.. Poor Tris, being drooled over must be so hard on you." Rory sat up and playfully ruffled his already tousled blond hair.  
  
"So, can I come with you?"  
  
"Well, do you think you can handle Dean's death glares?" Rory teased then chuckled, remembering their last confrontation in Doosey's before the fateful Romeo and Juliet rehearsal.  
  
"Bag Boy? Oh, yea, I can handle him."  
  
"Then you're more than welcome to come. Steph was going to stay in the Guest bedroom, but since she got together with Gareth, she's going to spend the holidays with him and his family in Boston. SO you can have the Guest room, if you want."  
  
"Thanks, that sounds great. Are there any warnings that you should tell me for next month?"  
  
"Ummm. "Rory thought, "Well, Luke lives with Mom, now. I told you about Luke, right?"  
  
"The Diner Man, and Lorelai's love interest. They finally got together at Sookie's wedding, and he moved in with Lorelai after you graduated Chilton, and moved here."  
  
"Yep, that's Luke. He'll do the full interrogation thing, you know the drill there. Ummm. Always call Mom Lorelai. She'll castrate you if you use Ms. or Mrs. You'll only lose a finger if you say Miss. But I think you like All your digits as they are. So, Lorelai." She paused, trying to think of anything else. "Oh, Jess might do a repeat of the Luke thing, he's a bit protective of me."  
  
"Who's Jess?" Tristan asked. Was there competition for Rory's heart?  
  
"Luke's nephew. He came to stars Hollow a couple of moths before you were shipped off to North Carolina."  
  
"Did you go out?"  
  
"With Jess? Yea, we dated during Senior Year. It got a bit weird when we realized hat we'd be related to each other when Luke finally asks Mom to marry her. We're better off as best friends anyway. He's like a brother to me. I don't know why I never mentioned him before now."  
  
"When did you last talk to him?" Tristan inquired, relieved.  
  
"Oh, a few days ago. Oh! He and Paris have been dating for a few months, well, since June, actually. They saw each other again at the Chilton Graduation and hit it off."  
  
"So, Paris' got a boyfriend." Tristan grinned, "It's about time."  
  
"Yea, well, strangely enough, they suit each other."  
  
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Tristan did the other thing that he had come over for.  
  
"Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?"  
  
"Dinner, as in a *date*, dinner?" Rory pushed herself up onto her elbows, her feet still in his lap.  
  
"Well. yes. A date." He clarified, sounding more confident.  
  
She looked at him more closely. His eyes were shifting, alternately looking out the window, the blank TV, and the door. One hand was fiddling with the sleeve of his blue shirt, and the other, he was running it agitatedly through his hair.  
  
"You're nervous, aren't you?!" Rory sounded surprised.  
  
He froze. "What-Why would---" He cleared his throat, in hopes that his voice would return to it's normal sound. "Why would you think that?" He tried again.  
  
"You mean other than the facts that you cant stay still and your eyes are looking everywhere but at me?" Rory raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Fine, I'm nervous. Now, are you going to answer me?" He looked at her pleadingly and repeated himself, "Will you go out to dinner -as in a date- with me tonight?"  
  
Slowly, Rory smiled. "I'd love to."  
  
  
  
**~*~*(*)*~*~**  
  
  
  
  
  
**Ring**  
  
....  
  
**Ring**  
  
....  
  
**Rin--*  
  
"Lorelai 's House of Love, How may I serve you?"  
  
Rory stifled a laugh, and Lorelai panicked at the sound of choking.  
  
"Mom?! Is that you?" Lorelai's voice was a tad too high.  
  
This time Rory couldn't hold back that laugh that was bubbling in her throat. "Do I really want to know what I interrupted, Mom?"  
  
"Mini Me!!" Lorelai squealed. "What's up, Hun?"  
  
"Well. You remember the old friend that I've mentioned?"  
  
"The one that you said you knew but wouldn't tell your beautiful charming mother who spent many painful hours in labor jut to bring you into this world, who it was? That friend?!"  
  
"Uh, yea."  
  
"Well, go on. You're going to tell me who it is, right?"  
  
"Tristan."  
  
"Tristan? Tristan?! Woa-ho-ho Gurlie! Tristan?! Evil Tristan?! As in Bible Boy, Mary, Tristan?!?!"  
  
"Well. Yea."  
  
"And he's you're friend now?"  
  
"Again, I repeat, yea."  
  
"Oh." Lorelai paused, thinking. "He's just you're friend, right? 'Cause when you went to school with him it sounded like he liked you. The whole Sandbox Analogy. Tease who You love sorta' thing."  
  
"Well." Rory hesitated. She'd been going out with Tristan since he first asked to join her on her trip to Stars Hollow, 3 weeks before.  
  
" 'Well.'? There's a 'Well'??" Lorelai wailed. "There's a 'well' and you didn't tell your MOTHER?! You horrible, horrible child." She paused. "Tell me. Now."  
  
"We've been dating for 3 weeks." Rory smiled sheepishly, even though her mother couldn't see.  
  
"3 Weeks!?! You've been going out with someone for 3 weeks and you never said a word to me?! And with Bible Boy, no less!" Lorelai huffed grumpily, then grinned. "Was there another reason that you called? 'Cause Luke just went upstairs, and I'd like to join him." She giggled, and Rory groaned.  
  
"Oh, God, Mother, I didn't need to know that."  
  
"Well, at least I didn't tell you that the only thing that he was wearing was a devilish grin."  
  
"Argh! Now you just needed to implant that picture into my head, didn't you? Luke. Naked. In my childhood home!" Rory dramatically rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, It's not anything that you haven't seen before" Lorelai returned impishly.  
  
"And it scarred me for life. I haven't looked at the kitchen table the same way since."  
  
"Oh, ha, ha."  
  
"Anyway, yes Mom, there was another reason for my call."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
"Since Steph is going to stay with Gareth this Christmas break, I told Tristan that he could use the Guest room as home base for the Holiday."  
  
"Tristan, as in Bible Boy, you're boyfriend Tristan? Staying in my- sorry, Our house? With Luke living here? One question. Does he want Death, or are you sending him into the shooting range blindfolded?"  
  
"I told him about Luke." Rory shook her head. "I'm not that stupid."  
  
"And Je-"  
  
"Yes, and Jess. How is he, by the way?"  
  
"Good, he came home early from B.U. Paris, being the diligent student that she is-"  
  
"I think you mean obsessed. Obsessed student." Rory broke in.  
  
"Right, obsessed student that she is, seceded to stay another week at Harvard."  
  
"Of course. Did he say if she's loosening up a little? Last time she and I talked, she was stressing about exams. Obviously no change there."  
  
"Surprisingly, Jess said that she's almost normal now. With everything except school, of course. He mentioned tat she made her Psych teacher cry. Twice. And the scary thing is, he sounded proud."  
  
Rory laughed. "He's in love."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Yea, it's cute actually. Anyway.. back to the main topic, Tristan."  
  
"Yes?." Rory said warily.  
  
"Because he's staying in our house, that means I can torture him mercilessly, right?"  
  
"I would expect no less." Rory giggled, "In fact, I'd be thoroughly disappointed if you didn't."  
  
Mother and daughter laughed evilly.  
  
Which is what Tristan heard when he walked into her apartment seconds later.  
  
  
  
**~*~*(*)*~*~**  
  
Okay, so I haven't updated for forever. I'm Sorry. I was sidetracked with my Literati fic, Too Late To Forget. And now my life is a bit hectic at the moment. My family was forced to move, so we did that, now I'm starting a job, and everything else.  
  
I'm still trying to keep up with my GG fics. I actually had this chapter written out for about a month and a half before I typed it out yesterday. So, I'll try to update more frequently.  
  
You're reviews really do make me write faster. it's the typing part that gets me.  
  
So, please review or e-mail me at  
  
coffeechick87@hotmail.com  
  
I'll love you forever if you do!  
  
Jayde 


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